The Middle East is steeped in the fantasy tradition, from Arabian Nights to Farid ud-Din Attar’s The Conference of the Birds. Upon doing research, I found that Middle Eastern writers also produced some of the earliest science fiction writings: the 13th century’s Awaj bin Anfaq, written from the point of view of an alien visiting Earth for the first time; Treaty on the Opinions of the Residents of the Ideal City, a tenth century anti-Utopian narrative; and Ibn al-Nafis’ The Book of Fādil ibn Nātiq, probably the first example of theological science fiction in history.

Here’s a list of a few contemporary novels set in the Middle East, too:

Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed

The Harem of Aman Akbar, Elizabeth Scarborough

A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar (Arabic diaspora — Sudan)

Between The Rivers, by Harry Turtledove

Three Princes, Ramona Wheeler (Arabic diaspora — Egypt)

Dreamblood series, N.K. Jemisin (Arabic diaspora — Egypt)

Arabian Nights and Days and The Journey of Ibn Fattouma, Naguib Mahfouz